A Tarpon Springs Police officer shot and killed a suspect who was allegedly armed with a knife. The incident occurred Saturday afternoon in the downtown area, where are car show was going on with hundreds of attendants.
Investigators roped off the area of Tarpon Avenue at Safford Avenue following the shooting around 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
A viewer captured video moments after the shooting as emergency crews surrounded the suspect and tried to save him.
Several people at the car show apparently saw a man riding a bicycle with a hood pulled up over his head. They thought it was strange, and told police. When a Tarpon Springs officers confronted the man, police say he gave them a fake name. Seconds later, the officer called out on his radio, 'Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired! He came at me with a knife!'
Officers quickly started moving all the witnesses and people nearby away from the scene.
"It was pop, pop, pop. I got up and looked and saw the man lying on the ground. Then I saw the police officer running down the Pinellas Trail. And they did a phenomenal job because no one else was injured," said Lisa Martino, a car show volunteer.
The suspect was taken to an area hospital, where he died. His name, and the officer's name, are not being released right now. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating what happened.
The car show did pause for a while, but eventually continued. Organizers say they'll still end up raising thousands of dollars for cancer research at the University of South Florida.
